The present invention relates to a water fowl decoy system, using a decoy body emulating, for example, a mallard duck, in which the decoy""s wings, which are flat and both longitudinally and laterally extended with contrasting color on its flat sides, are rotated at a relatively high speed (e.g. at least about 600 rpm) producing a xe2x80x9cstrobexe2x80x9d like effect for enhanced visibility of the decoy to flying water fowl (e.g. ducks). Additionally, the decoy has a direct, in-line, laterally disposed, electric motor drive, with laterally directed, dual shaft connectors for rotating the wings, and the wings may be connected to the motor shaft at varying angles producing a variable, wing xe2x80x9cflappingxe2x80x9d like effect.
The number of ducks and the interest in duck hunting are at an all time high. The acknowledged xe2x80x9cweak linkxe2x80x9d in duck hunting is the decoys. Traditional decoys are simple plastic, duck shaped bodies used to attract live ducks. The problem with these floating, but otherwise static, decoys is that they show no evidence of individual movement, and live ducks soon become xe2x80x9cdecoy wisexe2x80x9d.
To attempt to solve this problem, hunters have been attempting to add various types of motion to their decoys over a long period of time. Currently, there are quite a few decoys being manufactured which provide a variety of motion including (1) vibrations which cause ripples on the water; (2) some movement in the water caused by small water pumps, motors, etc., causing some propulsion of the decoy over the water; (3) flapping or rotating wings; or (4) some combination of the foregoing.
As shown from the foregoing patents, the broad concept of electrically powered decoys goes back a long way, although most of such decoys drove a propeller or other part of the decoy other than rotating or oscillating the wings of the decoy; note, for example, the ""040 (filed in 1944, over a half century ago), ""390 (wing flapper), ""416, ""314 (wind-up wing flapper), ""960, ""146, ""065, ""823 (wing flapper), ""128, ""448 (wing flapper), ""780 (user powered, wing flapper), ""654 (radio actuated neck mover), ""958 (moveable land based turkey), ""631 (breeze animated, land based fowl), ""317 (wind actuated, springy neck movement), ""466 (radio actuated, wing flapper), ""427 (deer tail flicking movement), ""990 (body pivoted), and ""936 (paddle splasher) patents.
Publications known to the inventor which may be of interest are:
Mack""Prairie Wings catalog (Stuttgart, AR), p. 11 on inter alia the xe2x80x9cFATAL DE DUCKTIONxe2x80x9d decoy;
Timothy""s catalog (Little Rock, Ark.), p. 5 on inter alia the xe2x80x9cFATAL DE DUCKTIONxe2x80x9d decoy;
Herter""s catalog (99-#643, Greenville, N.C.), p. 62;
Hawks 2000 catalog (Blytheville, Ark.), p. 39 on inter alia the xe2x80x9cFATAL DE DUCKTIONxe2x80x9d decoy; and
Steve Bowman""s xe2x80x9cArkansas Sportsmanxe2x80x9d article from the Dec. 23, 1999 issue of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette newspaper on inter alia the xe2x80x9cFATAL DE DUCKTIONxe2x80x9d decoy.
Note also, for general decoy product background information:
Herter""s catalog (Burnsville, N.C.), p. 33;
Cabela""(Sidney, NK.), p. 377; and
S.W. Earley Waterfowl Supply Co. catalog (Kinston, N.C.), p. 26.
Perhaps the most pertinent prior art is the xe2x80x9cFATAL DE DUCKTIONxe2x80x9d decoy which is described in inter alia the Mack""Prairie Wings catalog (p.11), the Timoth""s catalog (p.5) and the Hawks 2000 catalog (p. 39) as having an over-all wing span of thirty-six (36xe2x80x3) inches, with the wings being painted white on one side and brown (or drab olive) on the other, or, more generally, light on one side and dark on the other, that is, in contrasting colors. This decoy, like all of the other pertinent prior art patents, uses a relatively complex, mechanical drive including pulleys and small belts driven by a relatively small (1xe2x85x9xe2x80x3xc3x971.5xe2x80x3), lower power, six (6 v) volt DC motor, to, in this case, rotate the decoy wings about a laterally extended axis (operational only under ideal type conditions). The xe2x80x9cFATAL DE DUCKTIONxe2x80x9d decoy apparently has a wing rotational speed of about four hundred (400 rpm) revolutions per minute (note description in Hawks 2000 catalog, p. 39), producing, it is said, a xe2x80x9cflashing motion mesmerizing any passing duckxe2x80x9d or in another advertisement the rotating xe2x80x9cwings offer the lifelike appearance of a duck landing into the decoys with wings fluttering,xe2x80x9d using four, relatively low power, xe2x80x9cDxe2x80x9d size, flashlight-type batteries [also note descriptions in Timothy""s catalog, p. 5; and Herter""s catalog (99-#643), p. 62], which provides only about an insufficient, six (6) hours of operation (requiring changing with often forgotten spare batteries after only a half day hunt), along with smaller area wings with xe2x80x9cleadingxe2x80x9d flat edges, in contrast to the much higher rotational speed used in the invention (i.e., about 600 rpm or greater) with larger wings (about 50% larger), having laterally extending, curved lobes on at least their trailing edges, if not both leading and trailing edges, and a curved opposite edge, producing a disc like shape of preferably , of a size of at least about nine (9xe2x80x3) inches in xe2x80x9cdiameter.xe2x80x9d These differences are not merely ones of degree but of kind, resulting in the present invention""s xe2x80x9cstrobexe2x80x9d like effect, substantially adding to the attractive powers and high visibility of the decoy to flying ducks in comparison to the prior art.
Additionally, the xe2x80x9cFATAL DE DUCKTIONxe2x80x9d decoy has much trouble with operating in less than ideal conditions, namely, in wind, rain, cold, etc., in contrast to the preferred embodiments of the present invention which operate well in any reasonable condition, including, wind, rain, cold, etc.
A patent which disclosed the oscillation (not rotation) of a decoy""s wings is the Solomon patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,809,683), which uses a relatively low powered, DC battery powered motor running off a single xe2x80x9cDxe2x80x9d type flashlight battery to drive a wing/foot combination at a flapping rate of 100-250 times per minute (column 1, lines 39-65), using a very complicated, motor drive interfacing mechanical mechanism (note FIGS. 4-6). It likewise has most of the deficiencies as that of the xe2x80x9cFATAL DE DUCKTIONxe2x80x9d as well as some additional ones.
The system of the present invention solves all of the above noted problems of the prior art, some being long-standing, xe2x80x9cgreat-needxe2x80x9d problems.
As noted above, the present invention relates to a water fowl (e.g. duck) decoy system in which the decoy""s wings are preferably flat and both longitudinally and laterally extended by, for example, having one or more leading and/or trailing edge, curved lobes, producing a laterally elongated circular area, similar to the shape of a disc, preferably of a size of at least about nine (9xe2x80x3) inches in xe2x80x9cdiameter,xe2x80x9d with contrasting colors (e.g., drab olive or dark green and white) on its opposite, flat sides. The wings are rotated at a relatively high speed, e.g., at least about six hundred (xcx9c600 rpm+) revolutions per minute or more, producing in conjunction with the size, configuration and contrasting colors of the wings, a xe2x80x9cstrobexe2x80x9d like effect for enhanced visibility of the decoy to flying water fowl (e.g. ducks).
Additionally, the decoy has a laterally disposed, direct, in-line electric motor drive, with laterally directed, dual shaft connectors going directly to the wings for a simple, direct, in-line interconnection or direct drive. The center-lines of the wings effectively may be connected to the motor shaft at varying angles, producing a variable, wing xe2x80x9cflappingxe2x80x9d like effect as the wings are rotated.
Additionally, the electrical parts of the system, which are all housed in the interior of the decoy body, include a relatively powerful, DC electrical motor, powered by at least two, lantern type six (6 v) volt batteries in series [or a land-based, twelve (12 v) volt marine or car type battery], producing at least twelve (12 v) volts to the directly coupled or connected motor, providing strong (high torque), operational power for at least about a week or more.